The Service Module for the Third Moon-bound Orion Spacecraft Will Soon Be Transported to Florida...

Airbus Space

Europe Delivers for Artemis III (News Release)

The European Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis III mission to the Moon is soon on its way to the United States.

ESA is delivering its third European Service Module to NASA as part of its key contributions to humankind’s return to the Moon.

The service module has left the integration halls of Airbus Space in Bremen, Germany, and will now sail to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the United States.

Built in Italy, assembled in Germany, and with contributions from all over Europe, the module’s journey across the Atlantic Ocean will take 12 days on board the Canopée, the same ship that transported Ariane 6 to Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its inaugural flight.

ESA’s European Service Module

The European Service Module propels NASA’s Orion crew vehicle in space during Artemis missions and provides astronauts with essential resources including electricity, water, temperature control and air.

ESA has already provided two European Service Modules for NASA: the first was used during the successful Artemis I uncrewed mission, and the second is currently at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for testing in the lead up to the Artemis II mission scheduled for next year.

Now, the third European Service Module is on its way to join the second ahead of its own mission.

The Road So Far

The third European Service Module began its journey in the manufacturing halls of Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, where engineers built its chassis-like structure.

This backbone supports all components of the module including: 11 km of wiring, 33 engines, four tanks with 2000 litres of propellant each, tanks with enough water and air for the crew during their mission and four seven-metre solar arrays providing enough electricity for two households.

From October 2020, the module and its components arrived at Airbus Space in Bremen, Germany, for assembly. The parts came from over 20 companies across more than 10 European countries, a testament to the cooperative effort behind this project.

Earlier this year, teams installed the third European Service Module’s main engine. This engine already has nine missions under its belt, powering the Space Shuttle orbiters Challenger, Columbia and Endeavour.

The module will soon leave Europe on its way to the United States.

Next Steps

Once the European Service Module arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, engineers will connect it to the Crew Module Adapter and later to the Crew Module itself, with plenty of testing before, in between and after to get the spacecraft ready ahead of the Artemis III mission.

Source: European Space Agency

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Airbus Space


European Space Agency

Bye-bye ESM-3! 🚀
The Airbus-built ESM-3, that will bring boots back on the Moon 🌑, left the Airbus facilities in Bremen to head to its launch site in Cape Canaveral.
The European Service Module (ESM) will travel aboard the ship Canopée 🚢 and arrive in Florida in early… pic.twitter.com/jvsrFvhIPR

— Airbus Space (@AirbusSpace) August 22, 2024